throne, was the individual who nature proved, at one part of the would most willingly have laid duke of York's life, fraught with down his life for its support. consequences likely to affect his In social intercourse the duke of character, destroy the confidence of York was kind, courteous, and the country in his efforts, and condescending-general attributes, blight the fair harvest of national we believe, of the blood royal of gratitude, for which he had toiled England, and well befitting the so hard. It was a striking illusprinces of a free country. It may tration of the sentiment of Shakbe remembered, that when, in speare“ days of youthful pride,” his “The gods are just, and of our pleasant Royal Highness had wounded the vices feelings of a young nobleman, he Make whips to scourge us never thought of sheltering him- The Duke of York married to self behind his rank, but manfully Fredrica, Princess Royal of Prussia, gave reparation by receiving the Sept. 29th, 1791, lived with her (well-nigh fatal) fire of the of- on terms of decency, but not of fended party, though he declined affection; and the Dukehad formed, to return it. with a female called Clarke, a conWe would here gladly conclude nexion justifiable certainly neither the subject, but to complete a por- by the laws of religion nor morality. trait, the shades as well as the Imprudently he suffered this wolights must be inserted, and in man to express her wishes to him for their foibles as well as their good the promotion of two or three offiqualities, princes are the property cers, towhose preferment there could of history. Occupied perpetually be no other objection than that with official duty, which, to the they were recommended by such a last period of his life, he discharged person. It might doubtless have with the utmost punctuality, the occurred to the Duke, that the duke of York was peculiarly negli- solicitations of a woman like this gent of his own affairs, and the were not likely to be disinterested; embarrassments which arose in con- and, in fact, she seems to have sequence, were considerably in- favoured one or two persons, as creased by an imprudent passion being her paramours several for for the turf, and for deep play. mere prospect of gain, which she Those unhappy propensities ex- had subordinate agents to hunt hausted the funds with which the out for--and one or two from a nation supplied him liberally, and real sense of good nature and besometimes produced extremities nevolence. The examination of which must have been painful to a this woman and her various proflia man of temper so honourable. The gate intimates before the House exalted height of his rank, which of Commons occupied that assembly renders it, doubtless, more difficult for nearly three months, and that to look into and regulate doniestic with an intenseness of anxiety expenditure, together with the seldom equalled. The Duke of engrossing duties of his Royal York was acquitted from the moHighness's office, may be admitted tion brought against him by a as alleviations, but not apologies, majority of 80; but so strong was for their imprudence. the outcry against him without A criminal passion of a different doors, so much was the nation con, * Vol. LXIX. 2 H а vinced that alí Mrs. Clarke said see, that when once the guilt of was true, and so little could they entertaining a mistress was acbe brought to doubt that the duke knowledged, the disposition to graof York was a conscious and par- tify such a person, who must alticipant actor in all that person's ways exercise a natural influence schemes, that his Royal Highness, over her paramour, follows as a seeing his utility obstructed by matter of course. It was then, popular prejudice, tendered to his that the public compared the extenMajesty the resignation of his sive and lengthened train of public office, which was accepted accord- services, by which the Duke had ingly, March 20th, 1809. And distinguished himself in the mathus, as according to Solomon, nagement of the army, with the “a dead fly can produce the most trifling foible of his having granted precious unguent," was the honour- one or two favours, not in themable fame, acquired by the services selves improper, at the request of a life time, obscured by the con- of a woman who had such opporsequences of what the gay world tunities to press her suit; and, would have termed a venial levity. doing to his Royal Highness the The warning to those of birth and justice he well deserved, welcomed eminence is of the most serious him back, in May, 1811, to the nature. This step had not been situation from which he had been long taken, when the mist in driven by calumny and popular which the question was involved prejudice. began to disperse. The public In that high command his Royal accuser, in the House of Commons, Highness continued to manage our colonel Wardle, was detected in military affairs. During the last some suspicious dealings with the years of the most momentous war principal witness, Mrs. Clarke, and that ever was waged, his Royal it was evidently expectation of Highness prepared the most splengain that had brought this lady to did victories our annals boast, by the bar as an evidence. Next oc- an unceasing attention to the chacurred, in the calm moments of racter and talents of the officers, retrospect, the great improbability and the comforts and health of the that his Royal Highness ever could men. Trained under a system so know on what terms she nego- admirable, our army seemed to inciated with those in whose favour crease in efficacy, power, and even she solicited. It may well be sup- in numbers, in proportion to the posed she concealed the motive for increasing occasion which the pubinteresting herself in such as were lic had for their services. Nor is it his own favoured rivals; and what a less praise that, when the men so greater probability was there, that disciplined returned from scenes of she should explain to him her mer- battle, ravaged countries, and cenary speculations, or distinguish stormed cities, they re-assumed the them from the intercessions which habits of private life as if they had she made upon more honourable never left them; and that of all the motives? When the matter of crimes which the criminal calendar accusation was thus reduced to his presents (in Scotland at least), Royal Highness's having been, in there are not above one or two intwo or three instances, the dupe of stances in which the perpetrators an artful woman, men began to have been disbanded soldiers. This is a happy change since the reduction of the army, after peace with America in 1783, which was the means of infesting the country with ruffians of every description; and in the prison of Edinburgh alone, there were six or seven disbanded soldiers under sentence of death at the same time. This superintending care, if not the most gaudy, is amongst the most enduring flowers which will bloom over the duke of York's tomb. It gave energy to Britain in war, and strength to her in peace. It combined tranquillity with triumph, and morality with the habits of a military life. If our soldiers have been found invincible in battle, and meritorious in peaceful society, when restored to its bosom, let no Briton forget that this is owing to the paternal care of him to whose memory we here offer an imperfect tribute.Edinburgh Weekly Journal. LETTERS from his late MAJESTY to the late LORD KENYON, on the CORONATION OATH, with his LORDSHIP'S ANSWERS; and LETTERS of the RIGHT HON. WM. PITT to his late MAJESTY, with his late MAJESTY'S ANSWERS, previous to the Dissolution of the Ministry in 1801. The papers, marked 1, 2, 4, 5, are printed from originals in the hand-writing of his late majesty; 3 and 6 from originals in the handwriting of the late lord Kenyon; A, B, C, D, E, are from copies taken, on the 15th of February, 1801, by the present lord Kenyon, from originals communicated to his father on that day by the late King. No. 1.-To the LORD KENYON. Queen's-House, March 7, 1795. The question that has been so improperly patronized by the lord lieutenant of Ireland in favour of the Papists, though certainly very properly silenced here, yet it seems not to have been viewed in what seems to me the strongest point of view, its militating against the Coronation Oath and many existing statutes. I have, therefore, stated the accompanying queries on paper, to which I desire the lord Kenyon will, after due consideration, state his opinion in the same manner, and should be glad if he would also acquire the sentiments of the Attorney-General on this most serious subject. GEORG. R. No. 2.-The Queries referred to in No. 1. [Written by the King's hand.] The following queries on the present attempt to abolish all distinctions in religion in Ireland, with the intention of favouring the Roman Catholics in that kingdom, are stated from the desire of learning whether this can be done without affecting the constitution of this country; if not, there is no occasion to view whether this measure in itself be not highly improper. The only laws which now affect the Papists in Ireland are the acts of Supremacy and Uniformity, the Test Act, and the Bill of Rights. It seems to require very serious investigation how far the King can give his assent to a repeal of any and to confirm the opinion of those who view his loss as a national calamity. It may be necessary to premise, that, from the moment that I had received the alarming report from Brighton, I ceased to entertain any sanguine hopes of his Royal Highness's recovery, and that my expectations of it became gradually more faint, although they varied occasionally, as the symptoms of the disorder fluctuated. This impression led to my keep ing the minutes, from which I have extracted the foregoing statement, my object in so doing being, that I might be better able, from such accurate source, to do justice to his Royal Highness's character and sentiments. The 30th of December was the last day on which I submitted my papers, and he was then quite equal to any business, for although his state varied in the course of the day, yet there were hours when physical causes, or the effect of medicine, did not interfere with the clear application of the powers of the mind. It has been already shown by the details I have produced, that almost to the latest hour his Royal Highness was anxious to discharge his official duties, and the interest he took in them was at no time weakened by the pressure of bodily disease or pain. In further proof of this, I may state, that on Saturday, the 9th of December, I received from lord Bathurst at his office, secret instructions respecting the force to be prepared for embarkation for Portugal, and that I communicated them on the same evening to his Royal Highness. He was then in great pain, but he became indifferent to bodily sufferings, and immediately drew up the heads of the military arrange. ment (which paper, in his own writing, I now possess) from which were framed detailed instructions approved by him on the following day, and issued on Monday, the 11th of December. This measure naturally produced the necessity of other arrangements connected with home-service, and the adjutant-general and the quarter-master-general will bear me out in the assertion that these were entered into and directed by him with the same intelligence and attention which he had manifested on previous occasions, when we are bound to state that every arrangement was made by him, and that the execution of the details was alone left to us. It may not be irrelevant here to observe, that this had at all times been the case; his Royal Highness had been at the head of the army more than thirty-two years; during that period various officers were successively employed by him in the situations of military secre tary, and at the heads of depart ments at the Horse Guards; and they possessed his confidence, and exerted themselves zealously. But the merit of rescuing the army from its impaired condition, of improving, establishing, and maintaining its system, of introducing that administration of it, in principle and in every detail, which has raised the character of the British service, and promoted its efficiency, belongs exclusively to his late Royal Highness. The work was progressive, but his attention to it, his able superintendence of it, were constant. He guided and directed the labours of those subordinate to him; their task was executive. He gave the impulse to the whole machinery, and kept the wheels in motion, and to him, I for him that which he had ceased repeat it, the credit was due. to be able to do for himself. An arrangement for the promotion of the old subalterns of the army had long been the object of his solicitude, but it was one of difficult accomplishment, as it was understood that no measure entailing extraordinary charge on the public would be admitted. Hence the delay in bringing it forward; but his Royal Highness entered into every detail of it on the 26th of December, and the king having paid him a visit on the 27th, he ordered me to submit it to his Majesty on that day, when it obtained the royal signature; and the communication of his Majesty's gracious approbation of this arrangement was received by his Royal Highness with a warm expression of satisfaction. Of the resolution and resignation with which his Royal Highness submitted to protracted confinement and a painful disorder, my state ment offers ample proof; but I have not stated, that, during all this period, during this serious trial, his excellent temper, and kind disposition to all who approached him, continued unimpaired. I appeal to his medical attendants, I appeal to his servants, to those who transacted business with him, official or personal, whether at any time he betrayed any symptom of irritability, whether a sharp word escaped him, whether a murmur or complaint was uttered. Every attention, from whatever quarter, was kindly received, and gratefully acknowledged. Great anxiety was shown by him to avoid giving trouble; and at the later periods of his illness, that which seemed to distress him most was his being reduced to the necessity of requesting others to do Of the kind attention of his medical attendants, and their anxiety to afford to him the utmost benefit of their skill, he expressed himself most sensible. And it is due to them to say, that if he had been their nearest and dearest relative, they would not have devoted their time, care, and attention to him with more affectionate zeal than they did. Nor did he ever betray any want of confidence in their skill, or the least desire to resort to other advice. I must add, that I can positively state, having been admitted freely to their consultations, that no difference of opinion prevailed among them; they acted together cordially, and their only object seemed to be the welfare of their illustrious patient. During the progress of his illness, his Royal Highness received the most endearing and affectionate attention from the king, and from his brothers and sisters; and they never failed to be acknowledged with satisfaction and with gratitude; the princess Sophia especially, whose near residence admitted of more frequent intercourse, never missed coming to him in the course of the day, unless prevented by indisposition; and I have already stated that her royal highness, by his desire, took the sacrament with him on the 28th of December. The visits of his Royal Highness's numerous and attached friends were frequent, and they were invariably received with satisfaction, and with an expression of his sense of their attention. Upon these occasions he exerted himself to meet them cheerfully, and to suppress the expression of pain or bodily uneasiness, and they often |